BAE Wins Navy Contract To Support Training Aircraft

Maintenance personnel work on a T-34 trainer, one of the aircraft BAE Systems will service under a new contract from the Navy. (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense)

The U.S. Navy awarded a contract to BAE Systems valued at $400 million over five years to maintain T-34, T-44 and T-6 training aircraft. BAE’s Aerospace Solutions business, based in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., will perform scheduled inspections, repairs, modifications and logistical support of more than 300 aircraft operated by the Chief of Naval Air Training.

The contract award from the Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) is BAE’s first to work on the Navy training aircraft, a contract previously held by Sikorsky Aerospace Services and L-3 Communications. In August, the BAE support solutions business was selected to upgrade the avionics on more than 130 Korean air force F-16C/Ds through a U.S. foreign military sale, beating F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin. “We continue to execute on our strategy to expand our services footprint within BAE Systems,” Dave Herr, BAE Support Solutions president, said of the latest contract award. “This win strengthens our position in the aviation services market and creates opportunities for additional organic growth.”

The Chief of Naval Air Training is based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; the office oversees the Naval Air Training Command, which trains Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard pilots. The aircraft covered under the support contract are the single-engine Raytheon Aircraft T-34, the twin-engine Raytheon T-44A and T-44C, and the single-engine Hawker Beechcraft T-6A and T-6B. The contract includes an initial base period plus multiple options over five years if all options are exercised.

Work on the training aircraft will be conducted at NAS Corpus Christi and at two naval air stations in Florida, NAS Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field. In contract information posted on its website, BAE said it “looks forward to meeting the workforce currently supporting Navair on this contract. Each and every person on the current contract will have an opportunity to apply for positions as a BAE Systems employee, and we do not anticipate major staffing changes.” BAE said it plans to work closely with the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers and its members who are affected by the new contract.